sidestepped

verb

past tense of sidestep
1
as in circumvented
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness the eager enlistee sidestepped the regulations by lying about his age

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ducked
to move suddenly aside or to and fro the startled spectator sidestepped away from the oncoming ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sidestepped When asked if Richardson, who is 8-7 as a starter, will challenge Leonard for the QB2 role if he’s not traded, Dodds sidestepped the question. — James Boyd, New York Times, 11 May 2026 The official sidestepped a question about whether Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has personally signed off on the current agreement. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 13 June 2026 Bankman-Fried’s petition follows the Justice Department process for leniency used by thousands of people every year — a system Trump has often sidestepped in his second term. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 June 2026 The Booksmart actress sidestepped questions about the PDA pictures in a June 2025 interview with Vanity Fair. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 26 June 2026 Ocasio-Cortez notably sidestepped Platner’s candidacy in Maine even as other progressives defended him from the controversy surrounding his infidelity and old social media posts. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2026 The project’s developers sidestepped the city’s 30-foot coastal height limit approved by voters in 1972 through a state density bonus law to encourage affordable housing that apparently overrides local ordinances. — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026 Brown sidestepped a question about the internal dysfunction that led to his exit from Philly, which included complaints about the Eagles’ offense and a soured relationship with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026 The Hawks’ veteran guard CJ McCollum, always excellent but usually a sideman to a brighter star, dribbled and sidestepped through and around the Knicks defense, suddenly looking like one of the best offensive players in the league. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidestepped
  1. circumvented
  2. ducked
  3. avoided
  4. dodged
  5. evaded
  6. bypassed
  7. ignored
Verb
  • In other words, if that water heater explodes, then the investor will be personally sued for negligence in not replacing it, and the liability shield of the real property company is thus circumvented.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The clearance eases a confrontation that erupted two weeks ago when the government abruptly barred Anthropic from giving foreign nationals access to Mythos 5 and a related model, Fable 5, over fears that security guardrails could be circumvented.
    — Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 27 June 2026
Definition of circumvented
Verb
  • Collin Morikawa birdied 18 to catch Scheffler and ducked into the clubhouse at 20 under as the rains descended upon the TPC River Highlands.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026
  • Soon enough, patrons figured out there was a movie star in their midst and began clamoring to meet him, so Damon ducked behind the bar to hide.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
Definition of ducked
Verb
  • Indeed, the folks in Akron, Amherst and Monroe, among other locales, have long awaited the winds of change, which have avoided blowing out the stale air caused by chronic losing.
    — Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo avoided a suspension for the start of this year’s tournament after a foul during a World Cup qualifier match.
    — Yash Roy, Fortune, 5 July 2026
Definition of avoided
Verb
  • Congress has long dodged any Social Security reforms that would cut benefits, hike taxes, or do both.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 28 June 2026
  • Newsom's counter proposal calls for a federal minimum tax rate on Americans worth more than $100 million, rather than a state level one-time 5% wealth tax that the governor argues could be dodged by billionaires who could leave the state for another.
    — Juhi Doshi, ABC News, 26 June 2026
Definition of dodged
Verb
  • On the phone, my friend Monika is telling me about a lost dog in her Salt Lake City neighborhood, a blue heeler who’s been seen limping and has evaded capture.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
  • Russia intercepts most Ukrainian long-range drones but some have evaded Russian air defenses.
    — Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 27 June 2026
Definition of evaded
Verb
  • The ugly Not only did Kenley Jansen get bypassed for a save opportunity despite warming up in Yankee Stadium, he was not called on at the bottom of the tenth either.
    — Greg Jewett, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • How long a prisoner has spent on death row does not appear to be a deciding factor; DeSantis has bypassed prisoners who committed their crimes as far back as the 1970s, scheduling the executions of men convicted of murders committed decades later.
    — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Definition of bypassed
Verb
  • Their food might be the first mention in Talat’s many accolades, but their bar program can’t be ignored.
    — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
  • Not only were the rules misapplied, according to an expert referee with years of elite experience, but similar plays during this tournament have been ignored.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of ignored

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sidestep
sidestepped
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Cite this Entry

“Sidestepped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidestepped. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of sidestepped for Spanish Speakers

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